Talks - What is Sadhana?

What is Sadhana?

What is Sadhana?

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
, 1999-02-09

Today Gurudeva responds to those who say they don't have enough time to do sadhana. He explains that controlling yourself is sadhana, and that can be in the course of your studies by keeping your mind on what you are studying, and your goal of getting a good occupation. It can be done in the course of your worklife by being a professional, by doing a good job and not tangling with others. And you can do it in your home life by creating a loving and supportive environment.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam, February 9th.

Our retreat has ended. We had a wonderful two days, again reflecting on what we did and reflecting on what we are going to do, and trying to live in the moment. Actually, all we have is the moment.

Now the doors of our Cyberspace Ashram are open and everybody in 57 countries has one kind of sadhana to perform or another. Questions have been coming in about sadhana.

"How can I perform sadhana when I am so busy? The stress and strain of working and then coming home, and the stress and strain of a family." Or another question, "How can I perform sadhana when I am going to school? I have my exams."

Answering both questions is with a question - what is sadhana?

Sadhana is the deliberate control of yourself, by yourself. That is something only you can do. Deliberately controlling yourself, by yourself. That is sadhana. There are various kinds of sadhana. Chanting mantrams, performing pujas, going on pilgrimages. Basically, your entire life is a sadhana. Let us get our priorities straight. Why do we go to school? We go to school to learn, to graduate and to get a good place in the world because of what we have learned, make a living and serve the community. You don't go to school to make friends. You don't go to school to have conflicts. You don't go to school to participate in social issues. You go to school to learn, to graduate, and then take what you have learned into one kind of occupation or another and serve the community.

When you are working and serving the community, be a professional. Keep your mind on what you are doing. You do not take employment to have conflicts, mental arguments with your fellow workers. That is not professional. You join some organization or another, some business or another, to serve the community along with everyone else. But keep your independence. Don't tangle with anyone. Now that is a sadhana, keeping your independence without tangling with anyone. Going to school, keeping your independence without tangling with anyone. Don't get sidetracked. That is a sadhana which you can practice in the school, in the work place, and also, at home.

What is a home? It is a family togetherness where everyone is helping everyone else. If nobody is helping you, you help them. If nobody is giving you happiness, give them happiness.

I hope that answers these questions. The summary is that sadhana can be performed all the time, even when you are sleeping, even in your dreams you can perform the sadhana of controlling your instinctive mind, controlling your intellectual mind. That only you can do.

Here at Kauai Aadheenam, we have a constant stream of guests which you can see. We try to get pictures of them, for you to meet them as well and feel a part of this wonderful spiritual movement here in a small ashram, in the middle of nowhere, on a little island in the Pacific Ocean.

We are looking forward to travelling to Alaska to open a Ganesha temple with the Hindu community in Anchorage, on a big boat. Come on board everyone! We are on our way for seven days of getting acquainted, studying together, analyzing together, and improving our lives together from Vancouver to Anchorage, Alaska. That happens in June. I think most of you in cyberspace have received the invitation. If you haven't, send me your name and address and we'll see that you get an invitation.

Thank you very much for tuning into our electronic ashram. We are very, very happy that we have been together today and have deeper understanding of how to perform sadhana.